As a freshman on the Ansonia football team, Arkeel Newsome would line up at wide receiver and fill in at running back when senior star Montrell Dobbs would need a break. He would watch as Dobbs ran over and around defenders on his way to 3,445 yards and 40 touchdowns.

A quiet, slender Newsome -- he weighed about 140 pounds -- showed glimpses of future stardom, but there was no reason for coach Tom Brockett to rush the services of the young runner.

Newsome finished with 70 carries for 800 yards and 16 touchdowns, but the Chargers rode the legs of Dobbs to the Class S championship game. That title game ended with a 49-28 loss to St. Joseph. Since then Newsome and his fellow seniors have not walked off a field in losing fashion.

The Chargers have won 42 straight games, two state titles and Newsome has become one of the most storied players in the history of Connecticut football. He has shattered rushing records and is the all-time state leader in rushing yards (10,413) and total touchdowns (183).

Newsome will take the field for Ansonia one last time when the Chargers (14-0) take on Woodland (12-2) Friday night at 7 at Central Connecticut State University's Arute Field. The teams last met on Nov. 20 with Ansonia winning 48-7 in the NVL title game.

"It really hasn't hit me yet," said Newsome, referring to his final game wearing an Ansonia uniform. "This team works really hard and is focused."

Newsome has baffled defenses for four years with a speed and quickness that nobody has been able to match. Whether it's returning kicks, making tackles from his cornerback spot or reversing field on a sweep, Newsome always seems to be on the edge of breaking off a big play.

He doesn't have any training secrets, although he does credit many hours of playing "Kill the Carrier" with friends in his younger days as helping build his quickness.

"Sometimes it is crazy," admitted Newsome when he looks back at some of his runs. "I love making people miss a lot. I just want to make myself better."

Newsome has always been quick to credit his offensive line and fullback after games. There have been plenty of plays this year where the front five of Corey Dzienkiewicz, Ryan Hovan, Antone Mack, Tyler O'Connell and Matt Simon have plowed wide-open lanes with the help of fullback Saiheed Sanders.

"It has been fun," said Simon, a senior and two-year starter, who also served as a waterboy for the team when he was younger. "He (Newsome) has been great. He's always been quiet and we would kid him about it. He's a lot more vocal now."

Newsome has always allowed his legs to do the talking on the field. He has carried the ball 299 times for 3,608 yards and 64 touchdowns (60 rushing, two receiving two punt returns) this season. He set the state single-season rushing record two years ago when he ran for 3,763 yards on 313 carries. Making this year's achievements more amazing is that he has done it while barely playing during the second half of many games due to lopsided scores.

"After what he did his sophomore season it would have been easy for him to let up," said Brockett, who has compiled a 99-7 record since taking over the program in 2006. "He's the best. It's easy to be complacent with all the success he has had, but he keeps getting better. He's a natural runner."

The most frustrating aspect for opposing defenses is that everybody knows what is coming but still can't stop it. The Chargers don't have to get cute calling plays. Once in a while quarterback Jai'Quan McKnight will surprise folks with a pass, but the gameplan remains the same -- run Newsome behind the hogs.

"We know there will be nothing we haven't seen," Woodland coach Tim Shea said. "We know nobody has been able to stop Newsome. We will try to keep him from making the long runs and hopefully hold him to a lot of three- or four-yard gains. Every year we know Ansonia is going to be good."

All the current Chargers are well aware of the program's winning tradition. They will be playing for the team's 19th state championship and for a program that has won more games (759) than any other team in the state. The current winning streak is only seven short of the state record set by Cheshire between 1992-1996. Also, with a win tonight, Ansonia can become the first team in state history to win 15 games in a season.

"This team doesn't overlook anybody," said Brockett. "We don't take anything for granted. You don't know if you can get back."

The one contest that almost turned the NVL and the entire state upside down came on Nov. 7 when Seymour almost shocked the world before losing a 21-20 heartbreaker to the Chargers, Ansonia committed six turnovers in the game and Newsome was held to 112 yards on 26 carries.

"There was no finger pointing after that game," Simon said. "It helped us and showed that we can be beat if we don't play well."

Since that close game Ansonia has not scored less than 48 points in five wins and Newsome has looked better than ever. On Thanksgiving Day he ran for 406 yards and seven touchdowns on 40 carries against rival Naugatuck. He opened up the Class S playoffs by rushing for a career-best 492 yards and seven touchdowns on 26 carries in a 49-21 win over Coginchaug.

And now Ansonia fans will have their final chance to cheer for Newsome, who has already committed to play for UConn.

"People told me how fast it will go by," said Newsome, "but you don't believe them and now it's almost over. We want to win one more."